With hot but extremely mediocre hotel coffee in hand, I’ve just popped open my laptop somewhere in central Orlando.

Nine months ago, I committed to chaperoning a middle school orchestra trip for my seventh-grade daughter’s class. So far, I haven’t lost any kids, and no one is in jail.

This experience is way more stressful than I expected, for one primary reason.

The lack of control over my own schedule.

Lack of control is central to this week's issue.

Here’s this week’s rundown:

1. Own Your Autonomy: The Three Keys Every Advisor Needs

2. On the Pod: AI-Driven Private Wealth Intelligence with Russ D'Argento 🎧

3. Register - Black Diamond + Milemarker Webinar

4. Milemarker On the Road ✈️

Own Your Autonomy: The Three Keys Every Advisor Needs

Advisors spend hours every day guiding others toward financial independence. But when was the last time you paused to evaluate your own?

Self-Determination Theory, established by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, highlights three elements that drive human motivation and well-being:

1. Autonomy – The freedom to choose.

2. Competence – Confidence in your abilities.

3. Relatedness – Meaningful connections with others.

You likely coach your clients on these principles regularly, but does your practice embody them?

Autonomy: Are You Truly in Control?

Your autonomy isn't just about freedom—it's about control over your future.

• Could your business survive the sudden loss of a major vendor?

• If your custodian stopped its referral program tomorrow, would your growth stall dramatically?

• If you lost one of your top advisors, would your business take a major hit?

Quick action: 

1. Identify your critical dependencies today.

2. Outline contingency plans for at least two key vendors or referral sources.

Competence: Can Your Practice Run Without You?

True competence means your business thrives even when you're not in the room.

• Do your processes live in your head, or are they documented?

• Would your profit margins withstand a significant market downturn?

• Is your business over-indexed on your output?

Quick action: 

Calculate your trailing 12-month EBITDA margin, revenue per team member, and technology spending as a percentage of revenue. You can even go a step further and break this down across your clients segments, advisors or advisory agreements.

Unsure where to start? Milemarker can help you see and work with this kind of data with ease.

Relatedness: Who’s in Your Corner?

Success is rarely a solo sport.

• Do you have a supportive network, or are you isolated?

• Are your partnerships enhancing or diminishing your autonomy and competence?

I work with many exceptional advisory firms that offer highly flexible partnership models. They provide a perfect balance—maintaining your autonomy while offering the scale, processes, and community you need to thrive. If you'd like introductions or guidance on finding the right fit, let me know.

Quick action: Identify three people or organizations that could significantly improve your competence without compromising your autonomy. Reach out and start one meaningful conversation this month.

A Clear Five-Minute Checkup

Take five minutes to evaluate your practice honestly:

Step 1: Rate each area below from 1 (weak) to 10 (strong).

Step 2: Clearly note why you chose that score:

• Autonomy:

• Competence:

• Relatedness:

Step 3: Pick the lowest-scoring area. Identify one specific step you can take immediately to improve it:

• First improvement step:

Lowest score = your highest priority. Address this first.

Why This Matters

• Succession planning: Clear data and structured processes directly boost your firm's value.

• Market resilience: Firms with strong autonomy and competence are better positioned to adapt to regulatory and technological changes.

• Next-generation appeal: Talented advisors and affluent clients choose firms that offer clarity, stability, and meaningful community.

Mastering these three areas puts you in control of your narrative and future.

Your Challenge

Pick your lowest-scoring area, define one immediate action, and commit to taking that step within the next seven days.

Reply and let me know what you'll be working on. I'll anonymously share some of the most insightful approaches in the next issue.

Need immediate clarity? Milemarker specializes in delivering actionable insights and firm metrics—quickly and clearly.

______________________

On the Pod: AI-Driven Private Wealth Intelligence

Episode 090: On this week’s episode of The Connected Advisor, I speak with Russ D'Argento, Founder & CEO at FINTRX, about how to make financial data more powerful and strategic.

Russ shares the origin story of FINTRX—a platform born from his personal struggle navigating the private wealth market. We discuss how FINTRX evolved from bootstrapped startup to a data intelligence leader with more than 150 employees. We explore the growing demand for actionable, smart data, the role of AI in modern wealth tech, and how FINTRX helps asset managers, advisors, and fundraisers identify and engage the right prospects. Russ also shares what’s next for the company and how it’s positioning itself at the forefront of the AI-powered wealth transfer wave.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:55) - Russ's background and the origins of FINTRX

(05:28) - FINTRX's areas of focus for 2025

(07:32) - The evolution of data usage and expectations in the financial industry

(11:25) - FINTRX's rapid growth and expansion

(14:26) - What lies ahead for FINTRX

(19:09) - How to connect with FINTRX

⚡️Bookmarks

The Power of Integration: A Live Webinar with Black Diamond

I’m excited to show off some of the really powerful ways Milemarker has been able to help SS&C Black Diamond customers unlock more power from their data. Join me for this very helpful and informative webinar.

📅 Register Here →

Milemarker on the Road
Catch my team on the road at the following events or cities:

1. April 24-27 - Orlando, FL

2. April 28-29 - Tampa, FL, Csenge Advisor Summit

3. April 29-30 - Boston, MA, Tiburon

4. April 29-30 - Fort Wayne, IN

5. May 1-2 - Munich, Germany

6. May 7-9 - Nashville, TN

7. May 5-8 - New York, NY

If you’re in any of those cities and want to arrange a meeting time, reply to this email, and we’ll get something on the calendar.

Jud Mackrill